Manufacture of coal or like briquettes



Patented June 12, 1923.

UNITED stares A [1,453,716 Part1;

HENRY GARDINEB LLOYD, or suniarromnnetann. I i

MANUFACTURE or contest LIKE BaIeUn'r'rEs;

No Drawing;

To all 'w'klom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY GARDINE LLOYD, a subject of the King of England,

residing at Surbiton, Surrey, England, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments'in the Manufacture of Coal or like Briquettes,of which the following is a specification.

- This invention is for improvements in or men, asphalt, asphaltum, pitch or like com-- pounds-as the binding agent. A convenient relating to the manufacture of coal or other briquettes, and has for one of its objects to provide for the more efficient intermixing of the binding agent with the material'to -The invention relates to the manufacture of thattypej'of briquettes which use bitutest for determining whether the bitumen or to this process.

the like is suitable for use as a binding agent is' its solubility in' carbon disulphide or chloroform at a temperature of 77 F. Insoluble impurities or adulterants are of no use as binding agents. a Y I It has been proposed to crush pitch with thecoal orother material to be briquettedoughly with the materi-al to be brique'tted.

The binders are comparatively expensive materials and it is desirable to use as. little of them as possible in the briquettesr It will be appreciated, therefore, that the thorough mixing with the material to be bri-l quetted of the least possible quantity'of bitumen, pitch or the like, that is suflicient' to secure the binding action,;is desirable from the commercial point ofview.

' According toithe primary featureof the presentinvention (which invention is not one that operates on thefroth-flotation process .or method because the amount of water added inlcarrying it'outlin no case-exceeds about 15% "by {weight of the binding agent used, as hereinafter described,

which binding agent is,as already-stated, only used in small quantities relatively to the coal'or other material being briquetted) there is -provided a method of manufactur- Application filedlTune 1, 1921'. Serial at. 474,202,

' ing coal or other briquettes 'whichl comprises: I

' (a melting bitumen, pitch'or the like.

' (b) adding'water (or wet steam) to the said molten' material in a smallquantity r orrrca:

e. sufiicient to cause the moltenjmateriial to froth, and ('0) mixing with the frothing'bitumenf pitch or the like, the materialto be briquetted.

By'bringing water,

with molten bitumen, pitch or the like, at

Suitable tfimper'aturse ro 0 "f0an'1" is created in whichfthe mass of bitumen, pitch or the-like, is in ver'ythin films or bubbles which can be readily mixed with the ma terial to be 'briquetted. A very thorough intermixing of the two materials can thus be readily obtained and a small quantity of blnding agentwill serve to unite together a.

large quantity of coal or other material. For example 442 parts by weight of hitumen, pitch or-the like may be employed to briquette 96-88 parts by weight of coal or other similar material to be briquetted.

pitch or the like should be raised 'will vary with the nature and quality of the material employed, The temperature should'notexceed the cracking point of thefjbindi'ng agent, however, 'as 'otherwise there will: be

hotor cold, contact The temperature to. which the bitumenf danger of losing some of its volatilefcon stituents, and inpracticeit is' a good geng eral rule notto exceed 350 F. On the other hand, the'temperature must'be above the flowing point of the binding agent and. must be sufiicient' to ensure it being tho'r-y;

oughly melted. Preferably, the; temperature of the binding agent shoul'd'be maincare'taken to ensure that the temperature does not fall below this point until the desired amount of frothing has been ob tained'considerably above the boiling pointg of water whilst the water is added, and

tained. v With a bitumen havinga specific gravity at 60 of 11.05, a-penetrometer reading at 77 F. ;of 23, a ductility reading at '77? F; of 66 centimeters, a softening point 'of215 0 E, aflo'wingpoint of 175 F., and a total'solubility' in carbonvdisulphide of 99.97%, a temperature. of 190 F to 220 F.- is suitable, Itiis beunde'r'sto'od, how i ever, that these details are given merely by way of example and thatto-ensure accurate results the flowing and crackingpoints of the binding agent should be determined and care taken to exceed the former without approaching toon'ear the latter. The temperature may be maintained at that suitable for frothing during the operation of adding the water, and adding the coal orother material to be briquetted, in order to ensure that the whole may. be a homogeneous mass ready for briquetting.

The water may, 'as already stated, be added either hot or. cold. It may also be added in the form of wet steam, or it may be mixed with the material to be briquetted and the two simultaneously added to the molten bitumen, pitch or the like, while the latter is at a temperature suitable to produce frothing. For example a jet of water or wet steam, with or without the coal or other material mixed with it, may be brought into contact with a stream of bitumen, pitch or the like, at the desired temperature. this method being suitable for the manufacture of briquettes on a large scale. ut as aforesaid the amount of water used in the processes according to the presentinvention is small, i. e. not exceeding the amount required to secure frothing of the binding agent.

Th bitumen or asphalt may be as manufactured by oil producers during the distillationof oil. This type of bitumen is comparatively pure. A native bitumen such as Bermudez may also be used or a mixture of different bitumen. ,The pitch may be that I able.

at present in use in briquetting processes already in adoption.

As already stated, the amount of water required is extremely small and in some instances has been found not to exceed 10%-13% by weightv of the bitumen. The proportion just mentioned, however, is subject to variations within fairly large limits either up or down according to circumstances. It is given merely by way of example, and the proportion of total water to binding agent may vary, according to the nature of the binding agent, between 4% ndia /a by weight of the binding agent. It is important that no more water than is actually necessary should be added, since the presence of large quantities of water in the finished briquettes is extremely undesir Obviously ifthe binding agent itself contains water, less extra water need be added than would b e the case if the binding agent were quite dry. -The materials to be employed should, therefore, be tested to ascertain their condition and as small a qili'anti'ty of water. used as will give satisfactory frothing. lVi'tha dry bitumen conforming: to the specification quoted earlier he'reina proportion of 9% to 13% by weight of water to bitumen is suitable.

The coal or othermaterial to be bri- 'quetted need not necessarily be reduced completely to dust form. In some circumstances it will be found convenient to inelude lumps of convenient size in the ma terial being briquetted.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the precise proportions and temperatures, and other details, hereinbefore specified.

What I claim as my invention and desire 2. The method of manufacturing briquettes which comprises :.(a) melting bi-.

tuminous material, (1)) adding water int-he form of wet steam to the said molten material in a small quantity, i. e.sufiiei'ent to cause the molten material to froth, and

mixing with the frothing bituminous material the material to be briquetted.

3. The method of manufacturing briquettes which comprises:-'(a heating bituminous material to a temperature between its flowing and cracking points, (1)) adding.

4% to 15% by weight of water to the said molten material to cause it to froth, and mixing with the frothing bituminous material, the material to be briquetted, in the proportion of e12 parts by weight of hituminous material to 9688 parts by weight of the material to be briquetted.

4. The method of manufacturing bri-' quettes which; comprises:- heating bi tuminous material to a temperature betweenv its flowing and cracking points, (6) adding 1% to 15 by weight of water in the form vof wet steam to the said molten material to cause it to froth, and (a) mixing with the frothing bituminous material, the material to, be briquetted in the proportion of 4 1! parts by weight of bituminous material to 9688 parts by weight of the material to i be briquetted.

5. The method of manufacturing briquettes which comprises (a) heating bituminous material to a temperature exceeding the boiling point of water and the flowing point of the bituminous material, but

not exceeding the ;cracking point of thelatter, maintaining it.at thattemperature while adding waterto it in a small quantity, i. e. suflicient to cause it to froth, and (0) mixing with the frothing bituminous material the material to be briquetted.

6. The method of manufacturing briquettes which. comprises (a) heating bituminous material to a temperature exceeding the boiling point of water and the flow ing point of the bituminous material,but

not exceeding the cracking point of the latexceeding the cracking pointof the latter,

(Z2) maintaining it at that'temperature while adding 4% to 15% by weight or" water to it to cause it to froth, and (a) mixing with the frothing bituminous material the material to be briquetted, in the proportion of 4-12 parts by weight of bituminous material to 9688 parts by Weight of the material to be briquetted.

8. The method of manufacturing briquettes which comprises :(a) heating bituminous material to a temperature exceeding the boiling point of water and the flowing point of the bituminous material, but not exceeding the cracking pointof the latter, (5) maintaining itat that temperature while adding 4% to 15% by weight of water in the form of wet steam to it to cause it to froth, and (c) mixing with the frothing bituminous material the material to be briquetted, in the proportion of 412 parts by weight of. bituminous material to 9688 parts by weight of the material to be briquetted. 9. The method of manufacturing briquettes which comprises :(a) melting bitumen, pitch or the like, and (b) mixing together the material to be briquetted and a small quantity of water, i. e., sufiicient to cause the molten material to froth, and simultaneously adding them to the molten bituminous material, while the latter is at a temperature suitable to produce frothing.

10. The method of manufacturing briquettes which comprises:(a) melting bituminousmaterial, and (b) mixing together,

the material to be briquetted and a small quantity of water in the form or" wet steam,

to froth, and simultaneously adding them to the molten bituminous material, while the latter is at a temperature suitable to produce trothing.

quettes which comprises :.(a) heating bituminous materialto a temperature "between.

its flowing and cracking points, and mixing together the material to be briquetted, in theproportionof #12 parts by weight of bituminous material to 96-88 parts by weight of the material to be briquetted, andwater in the proportion ofl1% to 15% by weight of the bituminous mate rial, and simultaneously adding them to the latter.

12. The method of Vmanufacturingfbri i. e., sufficient to cause the molten material 11. The method of manufacturing'briquettes which comprises':(a) heating-bituminous material to a temperature between its flowing and cracking points, and (6) f mixing together the material to be bri quetted, in the proportion of 4512 parts by weight of bituminous material to 96-88 parts by weight of thematerial t0 bebriquetted, and water in the form of wet steam v inthe proportion of 4% to 15% by weight of the bituminous material,and-simultaneouslyadding them to the latter.

13. The method of making briquettes, which consists in frothing abituminousbinder with heat and water and applying the same to the particles to be bri'quetted While the binder is in a frothing state.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name tothis specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. a

HENRY GARDINER LLOYD, lVitnesses: I

ARTHUR ABBEY, RONALD STUART DoLmi'rMoRE. 

